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y STATES ANDREW GRIMES, OF LANCASTER, NEVI7 YORK, ASSIGNOR IO CHARLESDAY, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT iN BURNING CHARCOAL..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. IQLSQMI, dated December23, 1856.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW GRrMEs, of the town of Lancaster, in thecounty of Erie and State of New York, have discovered a new and ImprovedMode of Manufacturing a Medium for Filtering Purposes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The nature of my discovery consists in part in burning Wood in the openair Without covering of earth or any substitute therefor, and in part ofgrinding the coals,when burned and while red-hot, for the purpose ofproducing a filtering medium.

In order that others may profit by my discovery, I will proceed todescribe the manner of constructing my pile, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing. and to the letters of reference marked thereon,and the process of grinding while hot.

The figure shows a vertical section of the pile.

a is the chimney.

b are pieces of wood, about one inch square and fourteen inches inlength, of which the chimney is constructed.

c are sticks-of wood, split by a machine, one inch square, andvarying inlength from one to four feet, of whichthe pile is built.

d is the top of the pile, put on after the fire is introduced into thechimney.

c are sticks of wood, of the same size as those forming the hody of thepile, and varying from eight inches to two feet in length, forming thetop d, to prevent the flame from rising.

In constructing the pile I first build the chimney of the pieces of woodb one foot square and four feet high, cross-barred, as seen in theligure.

After building my chimney, I place the wood around it, as at c c infigure, the Wood being short at bottom, and increasing in length to fourfeet. rIhe wood, being split square, can be packed very closelytogether.

I do not confine myself to the particular length of wood or height ofchimney described. Others may be used.

The amount of wood packed around the chimney maybe one cord. When therequisite amount is packed up, I proceed to set it on fire. The fire isintroduced into the top of the chimney, thence it falls to the bottomand communicates to the pile. hen kindled, I build the top of the shortpieces e, set together over the chimney, and in the form of the body ofthe pile sufficient to effectually prevent the flame bursting out. Solittle air penetrates the pile when thus packed and set on fire that thecoals are prevented from burning to ashes, and sufcient penetrates toburn it to coals in from two to three hours. I am enabled by this mannerof burning the wood in the open air and of grinding the coals whilered-hot to make a ltering medium at a less eX- pense and in less time,and of a better quality, than can be done by the old method of burningcharcoal and reburning it for iiltering. As the pile burns, it must bekept packed tight at top by means of a short pole. It will thus burnfaster at bottom than at top. After burning to the outside at bottom, itmust be packed tighter at bottom than at top by means of the fiat sideof a shovel, in order to keep the air from penetrating and burning thecoals to ashes, allowing at the same time the pile to burn through fullyattop. After it has burned through at both top and bottom sufficiently,a little water may be sprinkled on, to dampen the fire some, so that itmay be approached.

It must then be removed to the mill, which is nothing but a commonbark-mill, and ground while hot. Then ground andallowed to cool, it isready for use.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

Burning wood in the open air without any covering of earth or anysubstitute therefor in such a manner as to reduce any given amount ofwood to a mass of red-hot coals, preventing the pile from burning toashesun-v til this result is accomplished, in the manner herein. setforth and described.

ANDREWT GRIMES. Vitnesses:

G. M. Branson, (l1-nis. E. DAY.

